Remarkable Woman: Pamela Jackson

"I root for the underdog because I've always been the underdog," says Pamela Jackson. "That's my team. I've always had compassion for them because they need more people on their side."

"I root for the underdog because I've always been the underdog," says Pamela Jackson. "That's my team. I've always had compassion for them because they need more people on their side." (Zbigniew Bzdak, Chicago Tribune)

Barbara Mahany, Tribune Newspapers

Here's what you need to know about Pamela Jackson: She was picked from thousands of students as winner of the national Dream Award, an honor that goes to a student who, according to Everest College officials, has gone "above and beyond in academic achievement while facing personal challenges and obstacles."

Or, as spelled out on the silver trophy that sits beside her bed: "Pamela Jackson. Dreamer. Graduate. Role Model. 2009."

Here's the rest of what you need to know about Jackson: She grew up in Cabrini-Green. Her mom, long addicted to drugs and alcohol, often left Jackson and her four younger siblings without food and no one to take care of them.

Her dad, who'd been her hero, was gunned down shortly after she graduated from high school; his body, Jackson says, was stuffed in a sewer.

Jackson, who is 38 and a licensed practical nurse, "discovered I was smart" in seventh grade.

"School became my everything," she says, then spells out what that meant: a place to find breakfast and lunch, a place without violence.

She won a scholarship to a top-notch Chicago private high school. But getting lunch money and bus fare reliably from her mother was a problem.

She had little choice, she says, but to transfer to Near North Career Academy, a public high school. Jackson admits she was pulled into the ways of the streets — and a culture of drugs and gangs and violence. She had two babies. But she still managed to graduate on time and with honors, No. 11 in her class.

She's not proud that for a time, "I became part of my environment. I became what I always said I wouldn't: a teen mom."

But no matter the derailments, she'd found a social worker, a surrogate mom, who never gave up on her. And wouldn't let Jackson give up on herself.

Here's another thing you need to know: When Jackson, who put herself through Everest College's practical nursing program, won the National Dream Award, which came with a $2,500 scholarship, she turned right around and gave that scholarship to the oldest of her five daughters.

She had a grandbaby to take care of, and she wanted to see her daughter live her dreams. The college has since given Jackson a second scholarship so she, too, can finally go to nursing school and win herself the two initials, "RN," each time she signs her name.

And one last thing: This daughter of a longtime drug-addicted mom, she pours her nursing passion into counseling drug-addicted women, along with other cast-offs and folks shoved into society's shadows.

Talk about turning heartache into triumph.

Q: What is your greatest attribute?

A: My compassion for others. Specifically, I root for the underdog because I've always been the underdog. That's my team. I've always had compassion for them because they need more people on their side. Successful people and the top dog always have followers and supporters, while the underdogs usually don't have enough people to stand by and support them.

Q: What is your greatest possession?

A: My smile. I'm told that I have a wonderful smile that can brighten people's day.

Q: What's the best lesson learned from your father?

A: I learned from my dad the importance of education. He taught me that it's never too late to learn and that you can keep learning throughout life.

Q: Who's your living hero?

A: Rochelle Satchell. She was my social worker when I was in an after-school teen program. She supported me and saved my life; she was like a mom to me. Rochelle is — and always will be — my hero.

Q: What is the one secret to success?

A: Passion. You have to be passionate about anything you do — no matter what it is — in order to be successful.

Q: What do you consider your biggest mistake?

A: Not completing school right after high school. I should be a doctor right about now.

Q: What is your favorite food/movie/city/country?

A: My favorite food is Giordano's pizza, and my favorite movie currently is the "Twilight" series. I became a fan six months ago because my kids are really into it — I thought I should start paying attention since they were so excited about it and I got hooked! My favorite city is New York City, and my favorite country is the United States.

Q: What your mother/father never told you:

A: That money, credit and financial responsibility are so important. I wish my father would have taught me better financial skills, but I suppose since they didn't have anything, they didn't feel like they needed to teach it.